


Falling Into It

by Chaos_Is_A_Ladder



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Alcohol, F/F, Femslash February, Femslash February Trope Bingo, Friends to Lovers, Implied/Referenced Homophobia, Mention of Tony Stark - Freeform, Post-Captain America: The Winter Soldier, Weddings
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-03-01
Updated: 2017-01-08
Packaged: 2018-05-24 03:21:08
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 12,659
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6139642
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Chaos_Is_A_Ladder/pseuds/Chaos_Is_A_Ladder
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Note: Post-Winter Soldier. The timelines are still all fucked up, I know, but it's fine. Probably. </p><p>Maria and Natasha reunite on an unsanctioned mission for Director Phil Coulson. After, they rekindle an old tradition and maybe spark something new along the way.</p><p>This started as a one-off for Femslash February last year, but I love this pairing so much that I'm going to be adding loosely-connected one shots to it, chronicling the relationship between Maria Hill and Natasha Romanoff.</p><p>Current chapter: Maria and Natasha attend a wedding! Naturally, it doesn't go smoothly.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Written for the Femslash February Trope Bingo 2016, just barely. Still counts, baby.

Maria’s just been shot. So that sucks.

The bullet’s grazed her upper arm, so she’s going to be fine. Still, it’s inconvenient, given that she’ll have to request yet another combat suit from Tony. That’s probably going to be the most difficult part of this whole enterprise. Her activities here aren’t exactly sanctioned – she just owed Coulson a favor. Dealing with Tony is always such a pain.

Plus, now, her arms stings a bit, from the bullet. So that’s distracting.

Maria realizes that she really needs to focus. She ducks another punch from the Hydra agent in front of her and kicks the gun out of his other hand. She’s never really understood the fascination with close-quarters gun combat. Sometimes, you just have to go in for a good punch to the teeth when you’re that close to someone.

Of course, she did get shot by said Hydra agent. So what does she know?

Maria blocks a punch from the Hydra agent and leverages his momentum against him, tossing him easily to the ground. He lands at an awkward angle on his back and before he can regather himself, Maria delivers a swift kick to his chin, sending the back of his head cracking against the concrete flooring. He’s immediately out cold.

Maria heads to the computer center in the building, just beyond the limp body of the Hydra agent, to find Natasha already in there.

“What took you so long?” Natasha asks, not looking up from the computer station she’s typing furiously at.

Ha. Hilarious. Maria rolls her eyes.

“I got shot,” Maria says. “Pretty inconvenient.”

“Oh, poor thing,” Natasha says, sparing Maria a quick glance before turning back to the computer monitor. “Want me to kiss it and make it better?”

“Are you offering to kiss my open, bleeding bullet wound?” Maria asks.

“I’m Russian,” Natasha says. “We’re into the weird stuff.”

Natasha taps a few keys on the computer and plugs in a small flash drive.

“Good to know,” Maria says.

“Alright, I’m done,” Natasha announces as she unplugs the flash drive.

“Is that it?” Maria asks. “It’s like you didn’t even need me here.”

The two women start walking out of the building, stepping over unconscious bodies of Hydra agents as they go.

“I like having you around, Hill,” Natasha says. “Helps with my morale.”

Maria simply raises an eyebrow at that.

“Let’s get this information to Coulson,” Natasha says. “I didn’t know Inhumans were a thing. How did I not know Inhumans were a thing?”

The two women reach their escape vehicle – an unmarked, black SUV. Classic spy move. They start heading to the meeting point with Coulson.

“Maybe because you’ve been on the run for the last few weeks or so? They’re also really easy to confuse with muta-”

“Hey, we should go out and get drinks after this,” Natasha says, clearly not paying attention to what Maria is saying. “Like we used to after missions.”

Maria takes it in stride and chuckles. Natasha has been gone for a while. Maybe she had even started to miss Maria. Wouldn’t that be something?

“I’m in,” Maria says. “It’ll be just like when I was a fresh-faced field agent. And you were a recently converted Russian expatriate.”

“Oh, come on, Maria,” Natasha says. “You were never fresh-faced. What was it that everyone used to say about you? That you came out of the womb with a scowl and a tight ponytail.”

To any outsider, Natasha’s ribbing might seem harsh, but Maria practically takes them as compliments, coming from her. Natasha has always had a funny way of going about everything, basically.

“Very funny, Nat,” Maria says.

The two quickly make it to the planned meet-up point with Coulson. Phil shows up promptly, as he does, and they exchange pleasantries (Maria asks about SHIELD and the Inhumans, which earns a vague shrug and a noncommittal chuckle from Phil) before Natasha gives him the memory stick filled with information about Inhumans that Hydra is potentially targeting. Phil thanks them both deeply before swiftly heading off once again. The life of a SHIELD director is never easy.

Maria and Natasha head to Maria’s apartment first, so that that bullet wound can finally be cleaned and bandaged and so that both of them can change back into civilian clothing. Maria once spend a whole night out in a bar dressed in full SHIELD combat regalia (minus any identifying marks, of course) as the result of a lost bet. That’s something she’d like to avoid forever. So civilian clothing it is.

They go to the same dive bar that they’ve always gone to following a successful mission – the Shield Maiden Bar. Natasha makes a dumb joke about the bar’s name every time they go there, and Maria laughs out of tradition. Natasha’s jokes are never actually very funny, but that’s really not the point.

Natasha orders a Yorsh, which still horrifies Maria (it’s just beer and vodka!) while Maria orders a Manhattan. Maria sips her drink slowly, while Natasha practically drowns herself in her Yorsh (even the name is dumb, Maria thinks, but that’s neither here nor there).

“Is everything okay, Nat?” Maria asks. “Life on the lam not all it’s cracked up to be?”

“This could be celebratory drinking,” Natasha says. “You’ve historically never been great at gauging my mood.”

Maria chuckles.

“What a great friend that makes me,” Maria says.

“You are,” Natasha says, sounding almost defensive.

“Well, I’ll drink to that,” Maria says. “Friendship.”

Maria holds her drink up for an impromptu toast. Natasha just smirks, though, and clinks her glass against Maria’s.

“That was the lamest thing you’ve ever said,” Natasha says.

                                                                           ----      

“It was good seeing Phil again,” Maria says. “Even if it was for super-serious SHIELD business.”

“It was. It seems like he’s handling things well enough,” Natasha says.

“Have you heard some of the reports coming out about what he’s been dealing with, though?” Maria asks. “Crazy, crazy stuff. Aliens and HYDRA and muta-sorry, Inhumans and everything.”

“You’d think he’d phone up the Avengers for help, or something,” Natasha says.

“Yeah, it’s pretty odd that he doesn’t,” Maria says.

The two are silent for a moment as they both take sips of their drinks.

“It’s good seeing you,” Natasha says.

“Yeah, you too,” Maria says. “Sorry it’s been for work, and not pleasure.”

“Has our relationship ever been based on _pleasure_ , Maria?” Nat asks, that damn coy, playful smirk on the redhead’s face.

Normally Maria would just laugh a comment like that off, but now she just finds that her cheeks are turning red.

“I suppose not,” Maria says. “We’ve always been consummate professionals.

Natasha just laughs, her deep, throaty, genuine laugh. Maria can’t help but grin at her.

                                                                           ----      

Not even a half-hour into their girl’s night and someone is already hitting on Natasha. On _Natasha Romanov._ The _Black Widow._ Nat slyly and ever-so subtly mocks the guy’s advances, and Maria lets her have her fun until she finally decides that the poor sap has had enough. Maria usually weaves some tale about an angry boyfriend with a short fuse that Natasha is going to be meeting here, but today, she goes for the direct approach.

“Are you hitting on _my_ girlfriend?” Maria asks.

Maria tries her hardest not to just bust out laughing right then and there, and even Natasha is having a hard time containing her giggles.

Now, that question coming from her usually has two outcomes. One usually has to do with the guy expressing his desire for watching his lesbian porn fantasies come to life. The other is fear, and that depends on how mean Maria is looking at any given time.

The guy begins to apologize profusely and quickly shuffles away. Natasha places a quick peck on Maria’s lips to sell it, and when the guy is out of earshot, they both bust out in laughter.

                                                                           ----      

Natasha orders her third Yorsh, and Maria just can’t take it anymore.

“Yorsh is a dumb name,” Maria says.

Maria’s voice is louder than usual and ever so slightly slurred, and wow, how long has she had her arm around Natasha’s shoulders?

Natasha just laughs and leans against Maria.

“You’re a dumb name,” Natasha says. “I’m going to order one for you.”

On one hand, Yorsh. But on the other, more alcohol.

“Fine, but you’re paying for it,” Maria says.

                                                                           ----      

Maria has lost count of how many drinks she’s had, which is dangerous. Especially around Natasha, who keeps on pushing new and exotic cocktails her way. This is dangerous. Dangerous, dangerous, dangerous.

The deep, buzzing haze of alcohol that Maria finds herself in now is pleasant, in a way. The hard edges of the world have been worn off, and everything is just so _nice_. Somewhere far in the back of her mind Maria wryly comments to herself that she is, in fact, a happy drunk.

How could she not be happy, though, when Natasha Romanov is sitting right next to her, oh so closely? Natasha is saying something funny, and she’s laughing and smiling in a way that few people get to see her laugh and smile. I mean, the woman is practically glowing, and all Maria can bring herself to do is to sit there in awe. Natasha is beautiful, and it’s almost too much. It is too much, Maria decides, and something must be done about it.

                                                                           ----      

These nights almost never ended with either of them hitting it off with a guy or girl and heading off with them. And that practically never ended with them in the back alleyway behind the bar with their tongue down someone’s throat. And it certainly never ended with Natasha being the one trying to find new and creative ways to explore Maria’s mouth with her tongue.

But yet, that’s exactly what’s happening. Life is funny like that, sometimes. And Maria’s definitely not complaining, although by this point, her mental faculties have been pretty dulled. Well, that’s an understatement. Practically drowned in Yorshes by this point.

Every instinct in Maria’s body is just telling her to go with it, and she does. And she does, and she does, and she does.

Maria isn’t entirely sure how they got back to her apartment, but they’re both certainly there now. Although there’s something different about Natasha. The lighting might be different in Maria’s apartment. Or it could be because Natasha is completely without clothing as she walks, hips swaying, into Maria’s bedroom.

                                                                           ----      

“Well, it finally happened,” Natasha announces when Maria finally wakes up the next morning.

Maria quickly checks beneath the covers. Yup, they’re both very naked. Maria remembers just enough to know that they aren’t both naked in bed for entirely _platonic_ reasons.

“What, us sleeping together?” Maria asks. “Was that fated, or something?”

“Not at all, but it seems more impressive that way,” Natasha says. “Do you want me to cook us something for breakfast? What I do in the kitchen could _technically_ be considered ‘cooking.’”

“I’ll do it,” Maria says. “Stay in bed, you.”

Maria gets up and quickly throws on a t-shirt and a pair of sweatpants.

“How domestic of you,” Natasha says, smiling lazily at Maria. “A girl could get used to this.”

“She just might,” Maria says, grinning back at Nat.


	2. Falling Further/Deeper

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Two months after the first part of this story, Maria and Natasha are dating, and they're about to take a big leap forward. 
> 
> The timelines are all screwy, I know, it's just vaguely after Age of Ultron/Winter Soldier and before the current season of Agents of SHIELD.

Maria returns home, still in the navy suit she wore to yet another Congress hearing about the safety of Tony’s latest invention. The suit is wrinkled and disheveled, the tie undone and hanging loosely around her neck, and several buttons undone. The state of her suit completely reflects how she feels.

She’s feeling a little slow after the onslaught of idiotic Congressmen, so it takes her a half-second longer than it normally would for her to notice the knife stuck into the wall just inside her front door.

Maria does a double-take at the knife, and inspects it more closely to find a note pinned to it. The note reads:

“Meet me at the diner that serves that burger you really like. 7:30. Be there or be square.”

It’s signed with a distinctive hourglass shape.

Maria sighs. It’s from Natasha.

There’s just enough time for Maria to strip out of her suit (which she leaves crumpled on her bed) and take a quick shower. She changes into a casual long-sleeve tee and slim-cut jeans and heads out the door.

Maria decides to walk – the diner that Natasha is talking about is close enough to her apartment building, and it’s a cool, crisp New York evening. It’s weather made for walking. Maria slips her hands into the pockets of her jeans as she takes long strides down the sidewalk.

To call the diner a hole-in-the-wall would be a gross overstatement. It looks like it’s been barely carved out of the side of the building, with just enough space for a counter, a kitchen, and four two-person tables. Natasha is easy to spot, being the only customer in the shop.

Maria chuckles as she approaches the table, noticing that Natasha has already gotten their food – a delightfully greasy burger, fries, and a (spiked) milkshake for Maria, and a gyro with curly fries for herself.

“Hey, Hill,” Natasha greets with a grin.

“Hey, you,” Maria says as she sits down. “You know, you can just text me if you want to go out on a date.”

Natasha chuckles.

“I’m glad you got my note,” Natasha says. “Texting just isn’t as fun.”

“It really concerns me how easily you break into my apartment,” Maria says.

“As much as I want to seem like an unstoppable super-spy, I just stole your spare key the last time I was over,” Natasha says.

“You stole my spare key?” Maria asks.

“Well, you wouldn’t give it to me voluntarily,” Natasha says.

“You never asked,” Maria says.

“You never offered,” Natasha shoots back.

Maria sighs and leans back in her chair.

“Well, I’m not going to ask for it back,” Maria says. “We’ve been dating for two months. I trust you not to do anything weird in my apartment. I mean – anything weirder than what you already do.”

“Thank you, Maria,” Natasha says, a grin forming on her lips.

Maria smiles back, before picking up her burger and taking a big bite of it. She chews thoughtfully, making sure to savor the taste. Natasha nibbles on her gyro, though she mostly seems interested in playing with her curly fries.

It strikes Maria how surreal of scene this is. Here she is, casually dating Natasha Romanoff – former top agent of SHIELD and current superhero. How impossible this would’ve seemed when Clint first brought Natasha in, all those years ago, back when she was an unstable KGB assassin. Maria had little trust for her back then, and now Natasha has the key to her apartment.

“Hey, could I ask you something?” Maria asks.

“Anything,” Natasha says.

For whatever reason, Maria believes her.

“What are we doing?” Maria asks.

Natasha raises a perfectly-manicured eyebrow.

“Eating dinner,” Natasha says. “Last time I checked.”

“No, I mean you and me,” Maria says. “I know it’s been two months of…us – but what does that make us? Just casually dating? Girlfriends?”

Maria floats that last word out there, careful to observe Natasha’s reaction. Amazingly, Maria swears that Natasha just about blushes, and looks down at her plate bashfully. Maria had seriously been expecting some sort of sarcastic response. Natasha quick regathers herself, and looks up confidently at Maria.

“Girlfriends,” Natasha says simply.

“Oh,” Maria says.

Natasha’s brow furrows.

“Do you not want that?” Natasha asks.

Maria doesn’t miss the dangerous edge that Natasha’s voice takes on. This is the most emotionally vulnerable Natasha has been in a while, and Maria doesn’t ignore that fact.

“Sorry, I do,” Maria says. “I really do. I just wasn’t expecting such a firm response.”

“Why not?” Natasha challenges.

Maria sighs. Why does she always talk her way into these situations?

“You hardly strike me as the dating type,” Maria says. “Let alone a ‘girlfriends’ type.”

A humorless grin tugs at the corner of Natasha’s mouth.

“I get it. I really wasn’t either back at SHIELD,” Natasha says. “But a lot has changed in the past couple of years. Everything that’s happened has made me realize that I’m not bound to my past anymore. I’m not even bound to SHIELD, because SHIELD is gone. For the first time ever, I can make myself the person that I want to be. I’m not the ex-assassin or the terrifying SHIELD agent. I’m just me.”

Natasha takes a deep, shuddering breath. Maria is completely aware that this is the most emotional clarity she’s seen from Natasha – ever.

“I can choose what I want out of my life,” Natasha says. “And I want you. I want to be your girlfriend. I’m all in, if you are.”

“Wow,” Maria says. “I’m – I do too.”

Maria chuckles and reaches out to grab Natasha’s hands.

“I really like you, Nat, if you haven’t noticed,” Maria says. “This is just so much more than I had ever dreamed of.”

Natasha smirks at Maria, though that usual teasing glint that accompanies it is missing from Natasha’s eyes.

“Hard-ass Hill, the persistent pessimist,” Natasha says.

Maria just smiles back at her.

“That’s me,” Maria says. “After this, though, I may have to rethink that.”

“You should,” Natasha says.

Maria squeezes Natasha’s hands before letting go. Natasha leans back in her chair and exhales audibly.

“Being that emotionally honest is difficult,” Natasha says.

“I appreciate you telling me, Nat,” Maria says. “I really do.”

“I’m glad I said it,” Natasha says. “Otherwise, I would’ve kept holding it all inside and it would’ve driven me crazy.”

“How long have you been thinking about all that?” Maria says.

Natasha can’t meet her gaze, and Maria realizes how unused to this side of Natasha she is.

“Is it weird if I said for two months?” Natasha says.

Maria smiles and reaches out to squeeze Natasha’s hand again.

“You romantic,” Maria says.

“Just for you,” Natasha says.

Natasha takes a deep breath, looking quite justifiably that spilling the contents of her heart in a seedy diner in New York has been quite taxing.

“Now, as my first official business as your girlfriend,” Natasha says with a playful grin. “I believe I have to ask how your day went.”

Maria laughs at that, because no matter what, nothing dulls Natasha’s wit.

“I had a crazy day,” Maria says. “Stark Industries always keeps me busy. Today there was a Congress hearing over Tony’s latest invention…”

Maria finds herself rambling on about her day, something that she typically never does. Natasha is watching with such rapt attention, though, that Maria would feel bad if she stopped.

Their conversation remains light through the remainder of their meal (which allows Maria to further savor her burger – she hadn’t eaten food since the granola bar she passed off as breakfast). Natasha relays how her day went as well, which mostly involved training at the new Avengers base.

Natasha already paid for the food, so when they’re done eating, they step out of the diner and into the crisp, New York night air. Natasha takes Maria’s hand in her own.

“So, what else do you want to do tonight?” Natasha asks. “I really didn’t plan beyond eating.”

Maria chuckles.

“Honestly, I’m so exhausted, I’d love to just go back home and watch TV,” Maria says. “You’re more than welcome to join me.”

Natasha squeezes her hand.

“Sounds perfect,” Maria says.

They walk back to Maria’s apartment – Natasha unlocks her door, of course, since she apparently always has Maria’s spare key on her. Maria makes a big show of rolling her eyes and looking annoyed, but it melts in the face of Natasha’s playful smile.

Maria goes straight to her couch and flops down onto it, stretching her long legs to rest on her coffee table.

Natasha works on prying her knife out of Maria’s wall.

“Hey, what do you want to watch?” Maria asks.

Natasha shrugs.

“I’m not a big TV watcher,” Natasha says. “I’m good with whatever you want.”

Maria puts on a rerun of her favorite sitcom and exhales audibly, really letting her body settle into the couch. Natasha comes and sits down next to her. Maria notices that Natasha’s posture is unnaturally stiff at first, and it looks like she’s running through complex math problems in her head.

Ah. Maria gets it.

“Come here, you,” Maria says.

Maria puts an arm around Natasha’s shoulders and pulls her in close. Natasha, being somewhat smaller in stature, fits easily next to Maria. Slowly, Maria can feel Natasha relax against her.

“You do remember we had sex before we started dating, yes?” Maria asks.

“Drunk sex is easier than cuddling with your new girlfriend,” Natasha grumbles.

“Whatever you say,” Maria says. “Hey, you don’t need to worry about initiating contact. I’m private sector now – I’d actually encourage a little PDA.”

Natasha grins and leans a little further into Maria.

“I’ll keep that in mind, Hill,” Natasha says.

“I really hope I don’t regret saying that,” Maria exhales.

The pair falls into a comfortable silence as the TV flickers on in front of them. Maria really is exhausted, and she can feel her eyelids growing heavy barely halfway through the second episode she puts on. Natasha is intoxicatingly warm and Maria catches the faint scent of her lingering perfume, something spicy and earthy and feminine all at once.

“Hey,” Natasha says, breaking Maria from her reverie. “I really like you too.”

Maria smiles, wanting to say something sweet back, but her tired mind settles on kissing Natasha on the forehead. Before long, Maria dozes off, her arm still wrapped comfortable around Natasha.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I love feedback, as always! Maybe even more than I love Maria Hill and Natasha Romanoff???


	3. A Punchup at a Wedding

“Hey, I have a weird favor to ask of you,” Maria says.

“That’s a fun way to start a conversation. What is it?” Natasha asks, not looking away from the TV.

“Do you want to be my date to a wedding?” Maria asks.

Natasha flinches violently, like she’s just been shot, and whips her head around to look at Maria. Maria would find it hilarious, if she weren’t so terrified to even be asking this.

“Excuse me, Hill?” Natasha asks.

“I know that this is a step forward for us,” Maria says. “But I’d really appreciate you doing this.”

“Whose wedding is it?” Natasha asks.

Maria sighs and clasps her hands together, looking as terrified as junior agents did when they had to face _her_.

“My sister’s?” Maria says, stating it like a question, as if that would somehow soften the blow.

Natasha’s expression darkens imperceptibly. Or Maria thinks it does, at least, but her fight-or-flight response is messing with her head.

“I have one question for you,” Natasha says.

“Shoot,” Maria says, and cringes at her choice of verbiage, because Natasha is armed more often than she isn’t.

A grin tugs at one corner of Natasha’s mouth, and suddenly Maria feels very confused.

“Are you going to wear one of your suits?” Natasha asks. “I love the way you look in a tight suit.”

Maria is so flabbergasted that she starts to laugh.

“That’s what you’re concerned about?” Maria asks. “What I’m going to wear?”

“It’s a wedding,” Natasha says. “That’s half the battle. The other half is getting drunk enough that talking to other people isn’t completely unbearable.”

“How many weddings have you been to?” Maria asks.

“Enough,” Natasha says simply.

Maria sighs and sits down next to Natasha on the couch.

“So, you’ll go with me?” Maria asks.

“What suit are you going to wear?” Natasha asks.

Maria almost makes a snide remark at that, but there’s something weirdly earnest in Natasha’s gaze, so she holds her tongue.

“Well, the wedding is in two weeks. That’s going to be right in the middle of summer, and it’s being held in Northern California, so I was thinking I’d wear my tan linen suit,” Maria says.

Natasha nods her head slowly, like she’s really thinking deeply about Maria’s goddamn tan suit.

“I can work with that,” Natasha finally says. “You should wear that floral tie Phil gave you.”

“I’m pretty sure he meant that as a joke,” Maria says.

Natasha shrugs.

“Wear it anyway,” Natasha says. “I have a dress that’ll go well with it.”

“Why is fashion suddenly your biggest concern?” Maria asks. “Out of all things? Apparently moreso than, say, meeting my family?”

“Well, if the Hills produced you, they can’t be all bad,” Natasha says with a grin. “Besides, I’ve bumped shoulders with dignitaries and warlords. I’m sure I can handle your parents.”

“You’d be surprised,” Maria says.

“Wear the suit and tie,” Natasha says. “And I’m in. Now be quiet. I’m trying to watch this show.”

“This is a re-run of _Cake Boss_ ,” Maria says.

Natasha shushes her, and Maria rolls her eyes and walks out of the room, figuring she could do something more productive anywhere else at all in her apartment.

“‘Not a TV-person,’ my ass,” Maria grumbles.

\----

They make it to the point where the plane they’re on is sitting on the tarmac, about to take off, before they discuss meeting Maria’s parents. And Natasha isn’t even the one to bring it up.

“Okay, I have to warn you about my parents,” Maria says.

“What? Are you still on about that?” Natasha asks.

“We haven’t talked about it for two weeks,” Maria says. “And I’m being serious. My parents are very traditional.”

“So bringing me along as your date won’t fly with them,” Natasha says. “Did you invite me to piss of your parents?”

“What? No,” Maria says. “You’re my girlfriend. Who else would I bring?”  

“Maria, it’s cool if you’re bringing me to piss of your parents,” Natasha says. “That’s very teenage punk-rock of you.”

“Oh man, have you been looking through my old yearbooks?” Maria asks.

Natasha raises an eyebrow at her, her entire expression suggesting that she’s not even aware that Maria keeps her old yearbooks around.

“I mean – nothing,” Maria says. “Anyway, as I was saying, my parents are pretty traditional. So, they may push back against the idea that you’re my date.”

“Well, they can push all they want,” Natasha says. “I’m not going anywhere.”

Maria smiles and nudges her shoulder against Natasha’s. Natasha, as always, is weirdly protective of Maria, though they both know she doesn’t need any protecting (Maria doesn’t mind, though, not when it comes from Natasha).

It’s a long flight from New York to California, so Maria pulls out a nice, long novel from her backpack. Natasha, though, never one for subtlety, raises the armrest between them and leans against Maria’s side, her head coming to rest on Maria’s shoulder. Maria looks down to see Natasha’s eyes firmly shut, her arms folded across her chest.

“Really?” Maria asks.

“You think I’m going to stay conscious for a five-hour flight?” Natasha asks.

“Fair,” Maria says.

Maria ends up dozing off an hour into the flight as well, her taller frame allowing her head to rest atop Natasha’s. They come to at the same time, right as the plane jolts as the landing gear touches tarmac.

“Are we there yet?” Natasha asks, her voice husky with sleep.

“We still need to drive to the hotel,” Maria says. “Come on, sleepyhead, let’s go.”

\----

They arrive at their hotel next, a rather luxurious one at that – Maria’s Stark Industries salary allows her to be slightly exorbitant with her spending, something that’s completely new to her.

“Wow, you’re going all out,” Natasha says.

“Well, it’s not every day your sister gets married,” Maria says.

“Right. Your sister,” Natasha says. “What’s her deal? For example – what’s her name?”

“You seriously don’t know?” Maria asks, and Natasha just shrugs. “I thought you read my file.”

“I skimmed the part about your family,” Natasha says.

Maria chuckles and sits down on the bed.

“Alright, I’ll give you a quick run-through,” Maria says. “My sister’s name is Robin.”

“Robin? Really?” Natasha asks.

“Yeah. Why, is that weird?” Maria asks.

Natasha just shakes her head and takes a seat next to Maria.

“Anyway, Robin is a news anchor for a local channel in Vancouver,” Maria says. “She’s smart and hilarious, and she’s a total dog person. She owns five dogs. I think she’s crazy.”

“A member of the Hill family that’s crazy? No way,” Natasha teases.

Maria nudges her elbow into Natasha’s ribs. Natasha, who could easily dodge Maria’s weak effort, lets it happen anyway – life is more fun that way.

“You bully,” Maria says. “Anyway, Robin is marrying a guy named Neil. Neil is interesting, to say the least. He’s part of a huge wealth management firm and is absolutely loaded, which will also explain his personality, once you meet him. He doesn’t seem like Robin’s type at all, but hey, what do I know? I just analyzed people’s behaviors for a living at SHIELD.”

“I’m sensing a bit of animosity towards Neil,” Natasha says.

“No, he’s fine,” Maria says. “I’m just overreacting. Robin’s still my little sister, after all.”

“Okay, Robin is the Canadian news anchor, Neil is the douchebag husband-to-be,” Natasha says. “Got it.”

Maria rolls her eyes.

“If that helps you remember them,” Maria says. “Now, on to my parents. Ray and Carol. Like I said, they’re traditional.”

“Okay…” Natasha says, expecting Maria to go on.

“That’s all I’m going to say until you meet them,” Maria says.

“That bad, huh?” Natasha asks.

Maria stands up and leans against the desk, folding her arms across her chest and facing Natasha.

“I’ll let you pass judgement,” Maria says.

“Okay, I get it,” Natasha says.

Maria looks down at the carpet, her face a mixture of anxious and stressed. Maria, unreadable around most, can’t help but be open about her emotions in front of Natasha (who worries, though she doesn’t have to – Maria is tougher than most). Still, Natasha can’t help but try to distract her girlfriend.

“Now,” Natasha says. “We have this nice hotel room all to ourselves…”

Natasha lets her voice trail off as she stands up, puts on her signature Black Widow smirk, and slowly approaches Maria. She slides her hands around Maria’s waist, drawing in close, and gazes quite obviously at Maria’s lips. Maria draws a shuddering breath, and Natasha bites her lip.

“Nat,” Maria says, her voice quiet. “We have to get ready for the rehearsal dinner.”

Natasha visibly deflates.

“Seriously?” Natasha asks.

“Yes, seriously,” Maria says. “I don’t want to be late for this.”

“You don’t want to be late for anything,” Natasha says. “You’re no fun.”

Maria smiles down at her girlfriend and gently rests her arms on Natasha’s shoulders, lacing her fingers behind Natasha’s neck.

“I’m going to wear a button-down shirt and tight pants to the dinner,” Maria says. “How does that sound?”

Natasha just chuckles and shakes her head.

“You know me too well, Maria,” Natasha says. “You know that means I’m going to be openly staring at your ass in front of your parents, right?”

“I know it all too well,” Maria says.

\----

The rehearsal dinner is being held at an extravagant restaurant in Napa Valley – Natasha notes that Maria really wasn’t kidding about her sister’s fiancé being wealthy. As they step out of their car, Natasha immediately slides her hand into the back pocket of Maria’s pants, which are, as promised, very tight.

“Behave yourself around my parents,” Maria warns.

“Your advice has been noted and filed, Director Hill,” Natasha says.

Maria groans. Tonight is certainly going to be interesting (which is, of course, an understatement).

Maria notices right away the heads turning to get a better look at Natasha, who’s dressed in a stunningly simple and elegant cream-colored dress. Natasha, being very well-known to the world as Black Widow, has put on a very natural-looking blonde wig and hazel contacts. It’s always amazing how well simple disguises work – people simply aren’t very observant.

“Hmm, I think I enjoy being your arm candy,” Natasha murmurs.

“There’s something I never thought I’d hear you say,” Maria says. “Alright, let’s go find my family before you give all of these people heart attacks.”

Her family, as it turns out, ends up finding her.

“Maria!” a voice from behind them sounds.

They both turn to see Robin running up to them. Neil trails after her, his hands shoved into the pockets of his suit pants and a lazy, almost disinterested look on his face.

“Robin!” Maria greets happily, and draws her sister into a tight hug.

It strikes Natasha how similar Robin is in appearance to Maria, though Robin’s features are much softer and gentler, and her body doesn’t have the hard-edged muscularity that Maria’s does. They’re obviously sisters, though, and Natasha feels a pang of something deep in her chest as she looks at Robin – it’s like peeking into an alternate world where Maria was never hardened by loss and hardship in the military and in SHIELD.

“Robin, this is my girlfriend, Natasha,” Maria says. “Natasha, this is Robin and her fiancé, Neil.”

Natasha, even still, feels a little rush of excitement to hear Maria refer to her as her “girlfriend” or “significant other” or even as her “partner.”

“It’s great to meet you both,” Natasha says.

Natasha holds her hand out for Robin to shake, though she instead envelops Natasha in a hug.

“It’s great to finally meet you,” Robin says, pulling back from the hug and squeezing Natasha’s biceps. “Maria has been absolutely gushing over you for weeks.”

Maria looks down, pretending to be distracted by a scuff on her suede oxfords, as Natasha raises an eyebrow and turns to look at her.

“Is that so, Maria?” Natasha says. “Well, isn’t that sweet.”

Maria turns to her, smiles, and gives her a quick kiss on the cheek.

“I’m Neil, nice to meet you,” Neil says, his voice just loud enough to be jarring.

He sticks his hand out like he’s thrusting forward a weapon. Natasha accepts the handshake, and Neil does the classic, masculine “crush-the-other-person’s-hand-as-a-sign-of-dominance” handshake. Natasha flashes him her sweetest smile and squeezes back until she can feel his tendons squeak.

Neil grimaces in pain for barely half a second, but Natasha notices. Neil shoves his hand back into his pocket to hide how red it’s getting.

“Thank you both for coming,” Robin says. “Let me walk you to our table – we have a private room in the back. And guys, I really want this to be a nice, casual evening. Leave it to Maria to show up in a shirt and tie.”

“Hey, this is a fun tie,” Maria says. “Isn’t this a fun tie?”

Natasha grins and reaches out to fiddle with the end of the tie.

“Emblazoned with pictures of Captain America,” Natasha says. “Where’d you even get this?”

“Steve himself gave it to me, I think as a joke,” Maria says.

Natasha chuckles and shakes her head.

They round the corner, Robin still leading them on, and come upon a large, private room in the back of the restaurant. It’s partially outside, the two large tables stretching out into the back courtyard, a lattice covered in vines hanging above everyone’s heads. The light from the restaurant spills outside, casting the courtyard in a golden glow.

“Your sister has a very different definition of casual than I do,” Natasha murmurs.

“Neil spoils her,” Maria says. “Plus, our version of casual is very casual.”

“I thought you liked pants-less Sundays,” Natasha says.

“Natasha, behave,” Maria says.

“Yes, director,” Natasha says.

Maria sighs, but quickly turns her expression to a friendly grin as they approach the guests who are already seated at the two tables. Maria spots her parents at the head of one of the tables, and two empty spots near them that are surely intended for her and Natasha.

Natasha can sense her girlfriend’s hesitation, and so places her arm around the small of her back and smiles up at her. Maria’s father is staring at the two of them with an unreadable yet very dark expression, and her mother is pretending to be distracted by the menu in front of her.

They take their seats at the table.

“Mom,” Maria greets. “Dad.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> #cliffhanger (sorry guys)


	4. A Punchup at a Wedding, Pt. 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Are weddings always so dramatic? Yes, yes they are, as Maria and Natasha continue to find out.

Natasha can see Mr. Hill’s masseter muscles clench as he grinds his teeth together. His eyes are focused right on Natasha’s, his gaze clearly antagonistic in intent.

Maria seems to be trying to engage in a staring match with both of her parents at once, and the other guests are looking visibly uncomfortable. Natasha clears her throat and nudges her arm against Maria’s. Even with all of Natasha’s training, “meeting the parents” is out of her usual mission parameters.

“Right, ah, this is my girlfriend –,” Natasha notices the way that Maria emphasizes “girl” in “girlfriend,” “– Natasha. Natasha, this is my father, Ray, and my mother, Carol.”

Ray nods, though you’d miss it if you blinked.

“It’s nice to meet you, Natasha,” Carol says, her voice sounding strained at best. “Please, sit down, the both of you.”

They do so, and Maria rather possessively grabs Natasha’s hand beneath the table and gives it a squeeze. Natasha smiles back at her.

“So, Maria, how’s work?” Carol asks.

“Working at Stark Industries has been great,” Maria says. “Pepper Potts, the CEO and a good friend of mine, is a dream to work with.”

“That’s great, dear,” Carol says.

“Much better than that SHIELD nonsense you were wrapped up in,” Ray says. “Ridiculous.”

Maria doesn’t even flinch. Coming from her dad, that’s almost a compliment.

“I agree,” Maria says. “The private sector has its faults as well, but our actions our public, for the most part.”

“Well, we’re very proud of you, dear,” Carol says, sounding like she’s congratulating her daughter for graduating high school and not for being a high-level special consultant at one of the most powerful companies in the world. “What do you do for a living, Natasha?”

“Oh, I freelance here and there,” Natasha says, which is, currently, technically true. “I’m a physical security consultant” – which is not true at all.

“And that pays well?” Roy asks gruffly.

“Well, people like to be safe,” Natasha says. “I could get a salaried position, if I wanted to, but I like keeping my schedule flexible. It lets me spend more time with Maria.”

Natasha rests her head briefly on Maria’s shoulder. Maria looks down at her and grins. Roy scowls.

“By which she means she gets acquainted with my couch and watches TV,” Maria says.

“Maria knew that would be the risk of giving me the keys to her apartment,” Natasha says.

“You two are so adorable,” Robin says. “It reminds me of when Neil and I first got together.”

“Except I was working all the time,” Neil says. “I’m glad I got my schedule changed.”

“Well, you got that promotion,” Robin says. “So, you could change your own schedule.”

“Oh yeah, that’s right,” Neil says. “Promotions are even better when they vault you even higher than the boss you hated.”

Natasha, who is quite literally a professional expert at reading people, can’t quite tell if Neil is intentionally being a bit of a pompous asshole, or if he’s just out-of-touch enough to not realize that he’s being one. Whatever the case is, she tends towards tuning him out whenever he speaks.

Natasha leans in close to Maria and nudges her side.

“Okay, I have to say,” Natasha murmurs. “I can see where you got your grumpy side from. Your dad makes Fury look as cheerful as one of Clint’s kids.”

“I do not have a grumpy side,” Maria says, a slight frown gracing her lips.

Natasha just raises an eyebrow at her.

“Whatever, you,” Maria says. “Let’s just decide on something to eat and focus on not talking to anyone here who isn’t named Robin.”

“Sounds like a plan,” Natasha says. “Director.”

Maria almost scowls at that – of all of Natasha’s nicknames for her, “Director” is certainly the most ridiculous – but she stops herself so as to not fuel Natasha’s ideas about her grumpy side.

The menu for the rehearsal dinner has a simple choice between two prix-fixe options. Maria deliberates between the two choices while Natasha shuts her eyes and points towards one of them.

The table begins to positively buzz with the sound of polite conversation, though Maria and Natasha turn to one another and banter amongst themselves.

“Hey, how did you two meet?” Robin asks, getting the pair’s attention. “Maria never tells me the full story.”

Natasha pauses her story of “that one time with Clint and Bobbi” and glances at Maria. They have plenty of cover stories that they can throw out if need be, but they didn’t decide on which one to use before coming here. Well, if Natasha is good at anything, it’s thinking on her feet. (Though, of course, part of Natasha just wants to tell everyone that’s she’s a god _damn_ Avenger and she started falling for Maria while they were fighting otherworldly threats in SHIELD, but there’s no way Maria would let her say that and allow her to continue to live).

So, instead, Natasha weaves a story about being fresh-faced SHIELD agent, falling in love with her tough, no-nonsense handler, Maria. In disguise, nobody suspects Natasha of being the Black Widow, Russian-expatriate and actual superhero, so Natasha is pretty free to make up what she wants. To make things easier, though, she tries to keep as many details as she can run parallel to reality, the basis of any good lie. So, she keeps the story about their first “date” being at a bar following a mission (she doesn’t tell Maria’s parents that they slept together right after, though).

Robin looks like she’s just about to burst, no doubt overjoyed and surprised that her sister had been able to woo someone like Natasha. Neil looks disinterested, but not in an overly friendly way, and Carol looks faintly pleased.

Roy, though, just grunts and stares Maria down. And Maria, never one to back down from confrontation, stares right back.

“What is it, dad?” Maria asks.

“I’m surprised,” Roy says. “That you’d choose to be with her. What happened to that nice young man you were dating before? John, I think his name was. I liked him.”

The implication, of course, is that Roy liked him and doesn’t like Natasha. Not that Natasha is surprised.

“Dad, come on. That relationship ended years ago,” Maria says. “I’m with Natasha now.”

Even a statement as simple as that is enough to send butterflies soaring through Natasha’s gut. She thinks she might be getting soft. Or maybe Maria is making her soft. It’s not entirely unwelcome, though it is surprising.

“He was a good man,” Roy goes on, seemingly unperturbed by the unfiltered death stare that Maria is fixing him with. “Military man, had a few successful tours in Iraq and moved up the ranks after each one. Came home and became a lawyer. Real upstanding sort of guy.”

To Natasha, Roy is emphasizing “man” and “guy” so much he might as well be shouting those words out. If it sounds like that to Natasha’s trained ears, there’s no doubt everyone else at the table has picked up on it, too.

“And there we go,” Maria says, raising her arms in frustration. “It’s not about who Natasha is, or what she does. It’s because she’s a woman.”

“Now, Maria,” Roy starts.

“No. We’re not doing this again,” Maria says. “You have to accept this part of me, Dad, it’s who I am.”

“I’m surprised we even have to do this again. I thought you grew out of this phase in college,” Roy says.

“No, you just told yourself that because I stopped dating once I joined SHIELD right after I graduated,” Maria says.

“There was John,” Roy says.

“We were together for four months, and that was after I’d been with SHIELD for half a decade,” Maria says. “Put that in the past, like I have. I’m with Natasha now, and I plan to be for a long time.”

Maria’s hand finds Natasha’s beneath the table, and Natasha gives her girlfriend a smile.

“Don’t you care about carrying on the family name? The Hill name?” Roy asks. “Do you ever even think about having children down the line?”

“You have two daughters, I don’t know what you’re thinking,” Maria says. “Besides, men can take on their wives’ last name now, or is that not traditional enough for you?”

Natasha watches as Maria’s back stiffens and she leans forward slightly in her chair, making her look like a jungle cat about to pounce on her prey. It’s a look that’s scared many a SHIELD agent. Maria’s father, on the other hand, with his too-tight shirt collar, looks like a blister about to pop.

“I will not tolerate this sort of rude, childish behavior at my daughter’s rehearsal dinner!” Roy says.

“If anyone is being rude and childish, it’s you!” Maria says. “You do this every time –”

“Stop!” Robin says.

Robin is standing up, looking absolutely furious. Even Natasha finds herself shrinking back under her gaze – that look must certainly run in the family.

“This is my rehearsal dinner! My wedding!” Robin says. “And I don’t want to sound selfish, but I want this weekend to go perfectly for me and my fiancé. So you two better shelve this argument or so help me I’m not inviting you to any family events ever again!”

“Sorry, Robin,” Maria says.

“Sweetheart,” Roy starts to say.

“No! Don’t ‘sweetheart’ me!” Robin says. “I don’t get why you’re always so mean towards Maria, but it stops this weekend. Let’s all just get along!”

Robin sighs and sits down with a huff. Neil grabs her hand and gives it a comforting squeeze, and Robin turns to look at him and smiles.

There’s a moment of absolute silence around both tables, broken only when a waitress comes by to take their orders.

“I’ll – I’ll have the salmon,” Natasha says, when she realizes that none of the Hills around her are speaking up.

\----

Maria is silent all the way back to their hotel room, but Natasha can feel anger and frustration radiating off her skin in waves. Not that Natasha can blame her – her father’s behavior towards her was, by any standards, pretty appalling. It’s not until they return to their hotel room when Maria finally expresses her frustration in the form of a loud scream.

“Hey, baby, it’s going to be okay,” Natasha says, gently wrapping her arms around Maria from behind. “We just have to survive the ceremony itself and the reception now. You can do it. I’ve never seen you so worked up before.”

Maria sighs and rests her hands atop Natasha’s.

“I’m sorry,” Maria says. “I know we can make it through this weekend. But he’s always going to be my dad, and he’s always going to disapprove.”

Natasha rests her cheek against Maria’s upper back.

“He’ll come around,” Natasha says. “He’ll have to. It’s not like I’m going anywhere.”

A smile, amazingly enough, graces Maria’s face. Maria turns around so that she can face her girlfriend, and gives her a quick peck on the lips.

“Thanks, Nat,” Maria says. “I don’t know what I’d do without you.”

“Oh, don’t say that,” Natasha says. “You know you’d be just as rock-steady and tough without me.”

“I know,” Maria says. “It’s just so much better with you in my life.”

Natasha smiles a bit deliriously at Maria – still, even after all the time she’s been together, these simple declarations of adoration and appreciation still amaze her. She still can’t quite believe someone is saying these things about _her_ , of all people. There are no words to express just what Natasha is feeling, so she kisses those feelings right into Maria’s lips instead.

“So, I know you’re still tense and frustrated,” Natasha says. “Anything I can do to help? Massage, maybe? Run you a bath? Order room service?”

Maria shakes her head.

“We’re going to shower together, then I expect your mouth between my legs,” Maria says.

Natasha grins at that.

“So bossy,” Natasha says. “Let’s get right to it, director.”

Maria rolls her eyes, but still she practically pushes Natasha to the shower.

\----

The wedding is the very next day, so Maria and Natasha are both up early to freshen up, apply makeup (and apply a disguise, in Natasha’s case), and put on their outfits. At Natasha’s insistence, Maria is wearing her smartly-cut, cream-colored linen suit, complete with a pair of tan tassel loafers and a navy floral tie. Natasha (at Maria’s insistence), is wearing a rather slinky dress, one that just toys with the edge of acceptability at a wedding.

They arrive at the venue early, and take their seats up front with the rest of Robin’s immediate family. This forced them to sit with Maria’s father, of course, but her mom acts as a much-appreciated buffer between them. The venue itself is beautiful, being in a small pagoda in front of the actual vineyards. It’s a lovely day, the sky bright and blue with hardly a cloud in sight.

The ceremony itself is beautiful. Robin’s vows are perfect, as Maria expected, but Neil’s are surprisingly heartfelt as well. Maria finds herself close to tears, which is a very rare occurrence, but she’s surprised to hear sniffling coming from her side. She turns to see Natasha sniffling again and wiping tears away from her eyes.

“Really?” Maria whispers.

“You tell any of the Avengers,” Natasha whispers back. “And I’ll remove your brain through your eye socket.”

Maria just grins and puts her hands up in surrender.

The ceremony ends with aplomb, as Neil invites everyone gathered to join them for the reception, which is being held in the winery just beyond the pagoda.

It’s another lavishly decorated room, and it’s clear that the colors Robin chose are blue and yellow. There’s a dance floor, a band setting up, and a fully-stocked open bar gracing the reception as well, the latter of which Maria is very thankful for. Maria grabs Natasha’s hand and they find their assigned seats. They’re, of course, going to be sitting up at the front with the bride and groom’s immediate family. Maria just hopes they can avoid another incident.

And throughout the meal, they do. Maria focuses on avoiding talking to her dad entirely, and instead tries to focus in on Natasha while also making sure to heap tons of lavish congratulations on her sister. She has a brief conversation with her mom as well, though they’ve never been especially close.

Neil’s best man has an amazing speech prepared that seems to run through every hilarious, embarrassing story he has about Neil, and by the end there’s not a single person who isn’t laughing. Neil is a good sport about it, and is often the one laughing most of all. Robin’s best friend gives a sweet and heartfelt speech, and Robin looks close to absolutely bawling.

Maria has a speech prepared as well (something her sister practically forced her to do), and once the sniffling dies down from the last speech she stands up and clinks her glass to get everyone’s attention.

Maria pulls the notecards for her speech out of her inner jacket pocket, which she had Natasha notate as she dictated her speech out loud.

Reading them now, though, they just say: “Read over cards for a moment, look displeased, and crumple them up and throw them away.”

Maria glances over at Natasha, who gives her a big thumbs up. Great.

“Ah, well, I’m going to ad-lib this one,” Maria says. “I just want to say congratulations to my wonderful baby sister, Robin, just one more time.”

A round of applause and cheering goes through the crowd again, and Maria claps along.

“Yup. You know, I remember changing her diapers when I was just six years old. When you know someone from that perspective, it’s always amazing when you realize they’ve grown up to be an adult that other people are attracted to.”

A few chuckles pop up amongst the crowd that grow when Maria gestures over at Neil. Neil just shrugs, as if to say, “hey, I put a ring on that.”

“But seriously, I’m so happy for my sister,” Maria says. “Love is beautiful. Love binds us together. Love is just love, and it should always be celebrated, never denigrated or doubted.”

Maria can’t help but glance at her father.

“You know, I thought Neil was a bit of a jerk when I first met him,” Maria says.

The gathered families laugh at that jarring statement.

“But Robin cares a lot about you, and over time, I’ve grown to really like you too,” Maria says. “But what I think doesn’t matter. What anyone thinks doesn’t matter. Neil, Robin, I want you to remember that the most important thing is that you two make each other happy, and you’re dedicated to each other, and you care. You both care enough to agree to never have sex with other people ever again.”

More laughter throughout the crowd, though Maria can tell that some people are dabbing at their eyes with napkins and the backs of sleeves.

“I’m so happy for the both of you,” Maria says. “To a long and happy marriage.”

Maria raises her glass and goes to sit back down to the sound of applause.

“Great speech, Hill,” Natasha says.

“Yeah, no thanks to you,” Maria says.

Natasha just shrugs and takes a sip of her champagne.

“You work best under pressure,” Natasha says.

Eventually, as people finish their meals and everyone gets a little more liquored up, people start to trickle out to the dance floor. Maria has a lot of respect for old Uncle Stan, who is the first to start dancing with absolutely ridiculous yet surprisingly coordinated moves after Robin and Neil finish their traditional first dance. Maria can see Natasha eyeing up the dance floor, and knows it’s only a matter of time until her girlfriend drags her out there. It’s not fair – Natasha can actually dance, really dance, and Maria is just a tangle of too-long limbs.

Before Natasha can drag them away from the table, Robin pops her head over and reaches out to squeeze Maria’s hand.

“Thanks for the speech, sis,” Robin says. “That was really quite sweet.”

“I just said what I felt,” Maria says.

“Still,” Robin says. “I really appreciate it.”

“Of course,” Maria says. “Sorry for messing up your rehearsal dinner yesterday.”

Robin sighs.

“Really, it’s okay,” Robin says. “The actual wedding has been going so well I can’t complain. Besides, I know it’s Dad who always starts it.”

“I’m glad you’re having a good time, Robin,” Maria says.

Robin smiles sweetly before leaning back to speak with her now-husband, Neil.

Maria feels Natasha’s hand sneak up to grab hers, and Maria knows it’s time.

“Let’s go dance, Hill,” Natasha says.

Maria groans childishly.

“Do we have to?” Maria asks.

“Yes, we have to,” Natasha says. “It’s your sister’s wedding. You have to participate.”

“Alight,” Maria says. “Let’s get this over with.”

“That’s the spirit!” Natasha says.

Natasha leads her girlfriend out to the dance floor, where guests have already begun to really get into it. The wedding band is playing something fun and upbeat, a hit from the nineties that Maria can just barely remember.

And then, Natasha begins to dance, and Maria is transfixed. Every movement is planned and purposeful, yet it’s all so fluid and natural put together. Plus, that dress that Natasha’s wearing definitely helps.

“I don’t mind you staring,” Natasha says. “But I want you dancing, too.”

Maria smiles, and Natasha takes her hands and places them on her waist. They begin moving to the beat, with Maria only committing to simple swaying motions at first. Natasha’s exuberance for dancing can’t be stopped, though, and soon Maria gets swept up in it, letting her limbs move with abandon. The alcohol helps, too.

They make it through a few songs before that sense of overactive self-awareness hits Maria.

“Hey, if you want to keep dancing with me, I’m going to have to get another drink,” Maria says.

“Go,” Natasha says. “I’ll be okay here by myself.”

Maria smiles and gives Natasha’s waist a squeeze before she walks over to the open bar and orders an Old Fashioned. There’s already a big crowd formed around the bar, and she figures she’s going to be waiting for her drink for a while. She looks over at Natasha on the dance floor, who’s being approached by Robin and Neil. Maria exhales and turns back around. Hopefully that goes well.

As she’s walking back to Natasha, her path gets intercepted by her mom, Carol.

“Maria, dear, I’ve been wanting to talk to you,” Carol says.

“Sure, what’s on your mind?” Maria asks.

Now, this could go any number of ways. Maria just hopes that her mom doesn’t echo what her dad says, which is what usually happens.

“It’s about Natasha,” Carol says, and Maria braces herself. “Now, I don’t know a lot about her, and I don’t know as much about her relationship with you as I’d like…”

“Mom,” Maria says.

“But, I just want to say,” Carol says. “That I don’t agree with your father. If she makes you happy, which is pretty clear to me, then you should be with her.”

Maria can feel the tension flowing out of her shoulders.

“Thanks, mom,” Maria says.

“I didn’t speak up yesterday because I don’t like disagreeing with your father in public,” Carol says. “But I just want you to know that I support you.”

Maria certainly has issues with the first part of that, given that Maria disagrees with her father in public constantly. But she’s not going to start an argument over that, not when her mom is being more open with her than she usually ever is.

“I really appreciate that,” Maria says, reaching out to squeeze her mom’s friend.

“Now, I see you with a drink in your hand,” Carol says. “Go have fun with your girlfriend.”

Maria does notice that her mom has a bit of a hard time saying ‘your girlfriend,’ but at least she’s trying. With her parents, that’s really all she can ask for. Maria smiles at her mom before going to rejoin Natasha, only to find her already talking with Robin and Neil.

“…so then I decide – I’ll just attach the note with a knife!” Natasha says, clearly finishing a story.

Robin looks absolutely scandalized, while Neil howls with laughter. Maria walks up to Natasha’s side and puts her arm around her lower back. When the Black Widow charm gets turned up, no one can resist.

“You found yourself a keeper, Maria,” Neil says, clapping a hand on Natasha’s shoulder.

“I agree,” Maria says.

Natasha smiles happily and presses her lips to Maria’s cheek.

“So cute, you two!” Robin says. “I’m so glad that Maria didn’t end up with some boring military stiff, like Dad wanted.”

“Yeah, well, he can’t always get what he wants,” Maria says.

“He means well, though,” Robin says. “He’s just old-fashioned.”

“That’s on way to put it,” Maria says. “So, how are you two doing? Getting hounded by guests at every turn?”

Robin sighs dramatically.

“You have no idea,” Robin says.

Robin and Neil stay to chat a while, before they’re inevitably whisked away to talk to old friends or reunite with distant family members. Natasha resumes dancing, of course, and Maria joins in with a little more liquid courage now egging her on.

The band switches to a slow ballad, and Natasha throws her arms around Maria’s neck, while Maria wraps her arms around the small of Natasha’s back and holds her close. They sway slowly to the rhythm of the song, making snail’s pace pirouettes across the dance floor.

Maria looks down at her girlfriend, and all at once, realizes that everything they say about weddings bringing out everyone’s romantic side seem so incredibly true. Natasha is beautiful, which Maria already knows, of course. But here? In this beautiful vinery in the middle of summer, wrapped in a stunning dress and glowing like some sort of goddess? Maria’s heart feels ready to burst.

“What are you looking at?” Natasha asks.

“You,” Maria says.

Natasha smiles and ducks her head, looking amazingly bashful for a woman who has stared down threats from gods and monsters.

“You’re not too bad yourself,” Natasha says. “Must be the suit.”

Maria laughs and shakes her head.

“Always the same with you,” Maria says.

And suddenly, unbidden, those three little words are on the tip of her tongue. I love you. They’ve not said that simple declaration to the other yet, but lately, Maria has felt those words always burning in the back of her mind. It’s only a matter of time until her tongue slips and lets those words loose.

“Hey,” Natasha says, shaking Maria from her thoughts. “Let’s keep dancing.”

Maria hadn’t even noticed the stillness. They begin swaying to the beat again, the band playing another romantic ballad. The lead singer sings of love and passion, of romance and dedication, and Maria finds herself lost in Natasha’s eyes.

As the song reaches its final chorus, Maria leans forward and finds Natasha’s lips in a deep, passionate kiss. Natasha reciprocates instantly, her hands coming to stroke Maria’s cheeks. It’s simple and sweet and perfect, and Maria finds herself lost in Natasha. Then, the song fades away and the band starts to play a livelier tune, and the kiss ends. Natasha and Maria both look at each other like they’re coming out of a dream.

They both feel the sensation of being watched, and they both turn to see Maria’s father staring at them, looking eternally disappointed. He shakes his and walks off.

Maria lets go of Natasha and begins to walk after her father.

“Maria, wait,” Natasha says, grabbing at Maria’s upper arm.

“Nat, I have to go talk to him,” Maria says. “I can’t keep doing this.”

Natasha nods and lets go, and Maria catches up with her father.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> #cliffhanger again (I can't help myself, I'm terrible)


	5. A Punchup at a Wedding, Pt. 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> And so ends this wedding arc. What will happen with Maria and her dad?

“Dad,” Maria says. “Wait up.”

Roy stops and turns around. Maria is thankful that they’re in a fairly empty corner of the room.

“What is it about Natasha that you dislike so much?” Maria asks. “Are you really so disturbed that I’m bisexual?”

Roy scowls and tries to shake Maria’s questions off with a wave of his hand.

“No, answer my questions, Dad,” Maria says. “You don’t get to just walk away from this. I’m your daughter, for crying out loud.”

Roy sighs and rubs the bridge of your nose.

“I was raised in a very traditional household,” Roy says. “By today’s standards, you’d call it backwards. Harsh, even. Being unmarried for too long was seen as an affront to the family. Any ‘aberrations,’ like being gay, or _bisexual…_ ”

Roy’s voice trails off, as if even saying the word “bisexual” is too taxing for him.

“Well, to my parents, that was a whole different level of Hell,” Roy says. “So you’ll have to forgive me my upbringing.”

“Oh, bullshit,” Maria says, and Roy flinches at the casual use of colorful language. “When was the last time you spent more than a week in your traditional household? Twenty years? Thirty? That’s plenty of time to get over that terrible perception of the world.”

“Old habits die hard,” Roy says. “Old beliefs even harder.”

Maria scoffs and looks away.

“Look, I worry about you,” Roy says. “I hardly know anything about this Natasha. Is she even right for you? Does she make you happy?”

“Yes, of course,” Maria says. “And I know any woman I’m with will have to jump through twice as many hoops for half the approval a man would get in your eyes, but she’s right for me. She’s the one. And if you can’t see that, well, I’m done seeking your acceptance. I’m done either way.”

With that, Maria walks off, refusing to let her father get in one more word. She walks right back to Natasha, who’s looking at her with such concern in her eyes it’s heartbreaking.

“That didn’t look like it ended with a happily-ever-after,” Natasha says.

“I said my piece,” Maria says simply. “Now I’ll have to see if my dad is willing to change anything about the way he thinks.”

“We don’t exactly need his approval for anything,” Natasha says. “We’re two tough, independent women.”

Maria chuckles at that, but her shoulders slump in a way that Natasha can’t ignore.

“What is it?” Natasha asks.

Maria looks off into the distance for a moment, trying to consolidate the mess of thoughts in her head.

“My dad is a deeply flawed person,” Maria says. “But he made me so much of who I am. As traditional as he was, and is, he never forced me into any feminine roles I didn’t want to accept. He let me play sports and romp outside in the mud and he even encouraged me to go into the military, and eventually into SHIELD. He’s just so hung up on me getting married and having kids. With a man.”

“That’s a strange hill to die on,” Natasha says.

Maria fixes Natasha with a withering stare.

“No pun intended,” Natasha says, putting her hands up in a show of mock surrender.

“I want my dad to come around,” Maria says. “I want him to be a better man. I just don’t know if he has it in him.”

“If he really loves you, he will,” Natasha says.

Maria grins and presses her lips to Natasha’s forehead.

“That’s a much more poignant piece of emotional advice than I was expecting from you,” Maria says.

“I think Steve told me something like that before,” Natasha says bashfully, deflecting with ease.

Maria smiles and pulls Natasha closer against her. They’re out on the dance floor, swaying fractionally off-beat to whatever slow ballad the band is playing.

“Let’s try to enjoy the rest of the evening,” Natasha says. “Regardless of what kind of person your father chooses to be.”

“I like the sound of that,” Maria says.

And they do. Surrounded by friends and family and eased along by liquor flowing freely from the open bar, Maria manages to push her conflict with her dad to the back of her mind. Natasha, though, is just happy to be there.

This is Robin’s night, anyway, and Maria is more than happy to let her take the spotlight. Whatever undercurrent of dislike that Maria has for Neil, there’s no denying the way that Robin looks at him, with all her love shining through her bright smile and sparkling eyes. Robin has always been the one to remind Maria, whether directly or indirectly, not to dive too deeply into her work and to, y’know, allow herself to feel real emotions every now and again.

It’s towards the end of the night and Maria and Natasha find themselves sitting at an empty table. Natasha is slumped over the table, resting her head against her arm as she fiddles with a half-full drink glass, a mixture of exhaustion from dancing and alcohol clearly slowing her down. It’s a simple scene, but Maria is sure feeling a lot of real emotions anyway.

“Hey,” Maria says.

Natasha cocks her head to the side to look at Maria, and she looks so much like a lithe cat that Maria almost bursts out in laughter.

“Thanks for coming with me,” Maria says.

“Well, you’re wearing this beautiful suit,” Natasha says, a timid smile on her face. “How could I resist?”

Natasha reaches out to play with the lapel of Maria’s jacket. Maria chuckles and rests her hand on Natasha’s forearm.

“To be serious, though, I’m just happy to be here,” Natasha says. “I just wish your dad was happy that I was here, too.”

“Does it bother you?” Maria asks.

An expression of something passes across Natasha’s face and she looks off into the distance. The lights from the dance floor glitter across Natasha’s green eyes, looking something like constellations.

“I’ve faced down gods and heroes alike,” Natasha says. “I’ve ended lives and saved even more. But this? With you? It’s something I’m not used to. Romance, in the Red Room, was always a means to an end, not an end in itself.”

A sad smile tugs at the corners of Maria’s lips as she gently squeezes Natasha’s forearm. Given the beautiful person that Natasha has turned into, it’s easy to forget her horrid past.

“But you’ve changed all of that,” Natasha says. “I mean that, and I hope that you can believe me. So, to answer your question, it does bother me. Not because he doesn’t approve of me, but because he doesn’t approve of _us_.”

Maria isn’t sure if it’s the alcohol, or her general exhaustion, the beautiful atmosphere of her sister’s wedding, or her messy conflict with her father, but moisture is threatening to squeeze from the corners of her eyes. Natasha’s words hit her somewhere deep in her ventricles, and she doesn’t want to let the feeling go.

“Sorry, was that really lame?” Natasha asks, her tone wry.

“So lame,” Maria says. “That’s why I treasure you so much.”

 Natasha smiles that devilish half-smile that turns Maria’s insides into mush.

“I think we’re turning each other into saps,” Natasha says, but the smile on her face suggests she has exactly zero problems with it.

“I think so,” Maria says. “I’m glad I don’t work at SHIELD anymore. I’d lose my fearsome reputation right away.”

“We both would,” Natasha says.

Natasha scoots her chair closer to Maria’s, so that she can rest her head against Maria’s shoulder. They both look out at the dance floor, where guests are running themselves ragged and the live wedding band has clearly reached into the dregs of their set list. It’s a raw, honest part of the night, a time that they both treasure.

Somewhere within the liminal space between one day and the next, Maria and Natasha slink away from the party. Maria makes a point to say goodbye to her sister, but it appears that Robin already snuck out with Neil earlier in the evening.

Their hotel isn’t far from the vinery, so Maria and Natasha walk back along the old country road. Old, yellowed streetlights buzz with a dim light, but near as they are they can’t compete with the dazzling, starry backdrop of the night sky. Natasha slips her hand into Maria’s, and they walk, hand-in-hand, ignoring the dust they kick up that settles on their sheos and the chill of the night air.

Out here, with Natasha, Maria tries to focus on the beautiful splendor of her sister’s wedding, and not her father’s continued negativity. Still, though, as much as she hates it, Maria can’t shake her frustration at her dad.

Natasha squeezes Maria’s hand.

“I can feel you thinking too hard,” Natasha whispers. “Just enjoy the nighttime.”

Maria knows that Natasha is of the night, that she’s cut from the same cloth as the velvety nighttime sky and of shadowy corners. Maria takes her advice seriously, and quiets her mind and stares up at the stars. It _is_ a beautiful night.

It’s a hair too far past midnight when they make it back to their hotel room, and Maria automatically strips down to her underwear and slips beneath the covers. Natasha quickly joins her, and they fall asleep holding one another.

\----

Maria wakes up to sunlight burning through the halfway-closed curtains and an empty indention in the bed where Natasha slept. It’s unfair to Natasha, who would have a million valid reasons for waking up early and far too much smarts about her to do anything stupid, but Maria has a momentary sensation of panic. Maria rolls over and checks the time on the bedside alarm clock. A groan escapes Maria’s lips as she realizes it’s mid-morning, and even calling it “mid” is pushing it.

Maria is halfway through getting dressed when the door clicks open. Natasha peeks her head in and slips inside as Maria finishes pulling on her jeans.

“Morning,” Natasha says.

“Morning,” Maria says. “Where were you?”

“I was – ah – I was out,” Natasha says.

“Out doing what?” Maria asks.

“Out, well…” Natasha says. “Let’s just say your dad won’t be a problem for us anymore.”

“Oh god, you didn’t kill my dad, did you?” Maria asks.

Maria’s statement is so abrupt that Natasha’s entire thought process slams to a halt and she can’t do anything but laugh.

“Maria!” Natasha says. “I was raised as an assassin and even I know not to joke about things like that. No, I met you dad for coffee.”

“What? When did you arrange that?” Maria asks.

“Last night,” Natasha says.

Maria gives her a look of utter confusion, and Natasha laughs again.

“I’m a super-spy, remember. Sneaking away and setting up clandestine meetings is subterfuge 101,” Natasha says.

“Sure, I’ll give you that,” Maria says. “What did you two even talk about?”

“Us, mostly,” Natasha says. “I just wanted to understand where he was coming from a little better, but that conversation quickly veered towards us.”

“And did that go – well?” Maria asks.

“Well, that depends on what kind of standards you have,” Natasha says. “It started off, by standard definitions, ‘well.’”

“I’m imagining that didn’t last,” Maria says.

“I ended up reading him the riot act about attraction and sexuality,” Natasha says. “But in a friendly way. As much as I could muster.”

Maria sighs, but the hint of a grin tugs at the corners of her lips.

“You didn’t have to do that,” Maria says.

“I know,” Natasha says. “I just wanted him to know that I’m serious about us. I know that at the end of the day his approval doesn’t affect our relationship, but I just had to let him know.”

The smile on Maria’s face only grows wider.

“You’re something else, you know that?” Maria says. “And I get it. I appreciate you trying so hard for me. For us.”

“Well, you did wear that suit just because I asked,” Natasha says, grinning. “It only felt right that I do this.”

“That feels like a disproportionate response,” Maria laughs. “But I’ll take it.”

“Good,” Natasha says.

Natasha raises up on the tips of her toes and kisses Maria on the lips. Maria wraps her arms around Natasha’s waist and deepens the kiss, the sensation of Natasha against her almost overwhelming.

They break the kiss slowly, languidly, like coming out of a dream.

“So, we have the whole day to ourselves before we fly out,” Natasha says. “What do you want to do?”

“First of all, I need food,” Maria says. “I’m hungover and starving.”

Natasha laughs and playfully pats Maria’s stomach.

“You got it, director,” Natasha says. “I’ll find us a good brunch place.”

Maria swoons. Sometimes, it’s the little things.

As Natasha is looking up places to eat, Maria hears her phone vibrate against the nightstand. She goes to pick it up and is surprised to see that it’s a text message from her dad.

“Maria,” it reads. “Had a talk with Natasha this morning. She’s tough, and I respect that. It’ll take me a while to come around on this, but you’ll have to be patient for this old man.”

Maria chuckles and sets the phone down. It’s a nice sentiment, but her conflict with her dad has already faded into the background, especially with her constant reaffirmations of her relationship with Natasha this weekend. Natasha feels like an end to all means, and a bright beginning all at once.

“Hey,” Natasha says, getting Maria’s attention. “This place serves greasy breakfast food and mimosas. Can’t be hungover if you’re still drinking, right?”

Maria laughs and casually rests her arm on Natasha’s shoulders.

“Sure, let’s go with that,” Maria says. “You’re driving.”

“Yes, director.”  

**Author's Note:**

> I fuckin' love feedback, homies (I'm also really sorry this was so rushed, but I've been really busy this month and I started writing this with literally only hours left in feb)


End file.
